Review Ego Airways, the new Italian airline: private vs Just Go which fare to choose
The first Italian airline born after the pandemic has Emilian roots and is called Ego Airways. In the months [...]
PMF
The first Italian airline born after the pandemic Has Emilian roots and is called Ego Airways. In the past few months we have chronicled the early stages of this carrier, and now it is time to review one of its flights.
In this article:
The first flights took off on March 30; in the fleet at the moment are two Embraer 190s, configured with a 2-2 cabin.
The purchase of the ticket
We have already recounted in great detail the purchasing process, there is currently no app, so to check in you have to go to the website and download tickets.
Let's say it is not the most comfortable solution, but surely the situation will improve with time.
We decided to try one of the first flights (one-day return from Parma to Bari) in the two different classes and evaluate whether or not it is worth paying for business class service on a domestic flight. Private class tickets, in addition to spacious seats and priority boarding, also offer full catering, which is more unique than rare among Italian airlines.
At the airport
Parma Airport is a kind of open-air construction site, so open that you don't even pay for parking.
Upon entering the air terminal, one can see how at these secondary airports, the pandemic has hit even harder than at the main airports.
On Wednesday, March 31, only two flights departed, these were two Ego Airways one to Bari and one to Catania, but in fact it is the same plane arriving from Catania, leaving for Bari, returning and resuming the flight to Sicily.
Passengers are asked to check in even if they already have digital boarding passes, and self-certifications are collected before proceeding to the sterile area.
There is nothing in the airport, of course no lounge, but no café either: just coffee vending machines and little else.
The gate area is even more bare; it feels like a prefab.
At the Parma airport, there are no fingers and no need for a bus to get to the plane either.
You follow the blue path drawn on the tarmac and walk to the aircraft.
Interestingly, two gates are being opened, one for passengers with priority boarding, the other for the rest of the travelers. A concrete way to comply with what is in the ticket.
On Board
The plane renamed Martina, after the same name as one of the company president's daughters, is not new, but it wears its 13 years well .
For passengers in Private the legroom is HUGE, we are talking about a row spacing that is not even found in premium economy on long-haul aircraft. Passengers traveling in these seats have as much as 101cm of space.
Abysmal difference from low-cost airlines, but generous to traditional airlines as well.
The seat also offers a decent ability to recline for those traveling in the rear of the plane, a feature missing from all low-cost carriers.
Legroom for Just Go passengers, which is the cheapest fare, Is still above the industry average, With 83 cm between rows.
It would be interesting to know whether the choice was forced so as not to have to reconfigure the plane that in its early life flew to South America for Copa Airlines, or is it really for a business strategy.
In any case, the attempt to position itself with a product markedly in contrast to the low-costs on routes not traveled by Alitalia is definitely appreciable.
Service
Here comes the sour note, unfortunately the company decided to "copy" Alitalia and so while the vast majority of the World carriers has restored shipboard service, a few minutes after takeoff the announcement is made that: "due to the pandemic a reduced service will be carried out": this applies to all passengers, including business passengers.
All passengers are served a small bottle of water, a cookie and a morsel of bread, all bagged of course.
So much for the dining experience based on local products, as per the ticket and as advertised on the website.
When asked for their reasons, the staff politely explained that the regulations required the company to choose this route : ".... Alitalia is also doing the same thing." Indeed it is quite true, Alitalia has not yet restored service, which Lufthansa, Air France, British Airways, and virtually every other airline in the world have done.
The cabin manager very kindly came to my seat to explain the reasons. The choice at this startup stage is to want to implement more stringent measures precisely to avoid "youth" problems.
The flight as announced by Captain Enrico Conti takes an hour, or maybe a few minutes less. A beautiful spring day greets us in Bari, too bad I didn't have time to enjoy it.
In fact, I got off the plane only long enough for a cup of coffee, then went through security again and re-boarded the plane to return to Emilia Romagna.
In conclusion
The outbound flight had about 40 passengers on board, the return flight only 10. Certainly the Dpcm that banned travel at Easter did not help this company's debut. We hope for the business plan and management's ability to maintain the quality of service.
Private on such a short flight is wasted, all that space available is a dream. Hopefully Ego will become the Italian JetBlue, the space is there, but the foundation must be solid and we must not lose our way, as has happened to so many companies in recent years.
Right now I don't see the point of paying for Private instead of Just go. The planes do not travel crowded and the service is not full, perhaps tomorrow when we return to a 100% fill rate, it might make sense. Otherwise, if a good day dawns, it will be a good day.
Have you flown with this company? What did you think of it? Write it in the comments.
